How To: Produce A Soundtrack

I caught up with the Executive Producer of The Scorpion King soundtrack, Godsmack front man Sully Erna, to learn how a soundtrack comes together.

When The Scorpion King director Chuck Russell had to formulate a lineup for the movie's soundtrack, the Godsmack fan could not help but ask lead vocalist Sully Erna to contribute a track. Originally, "Chuck wanted to use 'Voodoo' for the album. But he wasn't sure whether we were touring, recording or in the writing stage. He wanted to know whether we would rearrange it for the album..." Erna explains. But things just fell into place, as Erna was tapped to be the Executive Producer for the release.

match the tracks to the movie

Godsmack's contribution to the soundtrack is "I Stand Alone," a blinder of a tune that kick-starts the album into overdrive. "We had some music ready that Chuck liked, and after seeing a couple of the trailers, we wrote lyrics around the character and storyline."

From there, it was only a matter of lining up some of the top rock and metal bands in the industry, as well as giving a couple of up-and-coming acts a shot at the big leagues. "This is the only kind of music you can have in a film like this," Erna continues. "When the energy kicks up, I think you should have powerful music. You can't have orchestras and violins when people are banging swords, you know?"

Add to this the fact that the movie's main star is none other than WWF's The Rock, and the choice of music was obvious.

get the players

"I am not a pro at this, but the one thing I know best is music," continues Erna. He admits that bringing all of the elements together can "turn into a nightmare, but I had fun doing it." Following through is most important; after all, bands are always into the idea. "Yeah, you ask a band member or the artist, and it's like 'Yeah, we're into it.' But then you have to ask the manager, the label and their publishers..."

It helps that Erna was a big fan of the movie. "Convincing people was easy to do because you know this is a solid movie. It is a prequel to the Mummy franchise and Universal is good at breaking an album. I can't imagine this album or movie stiffing..."

Erna worked alongside Republic Records President Avery Lipman. "He had a lot of say as well, he was trying to break some new bands, so we split the job in the middle."

the bigger, the better

"It is about getting the big names, the brand names that people will recognize, but you also want to get a couple of acts that are on the cusp of breaking." Of course, it is easier to get younger bands on board faster. "We said 'yes' as soon as they asked us," says Skinny of Mushroomhead, whose new album, XX , was released earlier this year.